You might have already noticed, that the hedgerows are just full of Elderflower at the moment, and if you haven’t noticed yet, you will now you’ve read this! Even in a City, if you look carefully, I am pretty certain you will spot some hanging over walls or in the park. And with such an abundance, it seems a waste not to make some Elderflower syrup.

With this in mind, I drove up to Devils Dyke yesterday, secateurs in hand, for a good foraging session. I soon found a mass of bushes all heavily laden, so carefully, ensuring to just take a little from each bush, in order not to leave them bare, I filled my basket with the sweetly scented flowers.

Elderflower syrup is very easy to make, all you need is a couple of extra ingredients and some patience:

About 25 flower heads

2 x unwaxed lemons

450g caster sugar

500 ml water

1. Boil the water, and then add the sugar to it, stirring until it dissolves completely. Leave to cool.

2. Meanwhile, wash the flower heads, and give them a good shake to remove any bugs.

3. Remove the flowers from the stalks, this does take a bit of time, but I found the easiest method, was to roll my fingers and thumb across the stalks, and kind of rub them off.

4. Slice the lemons, and add them to the cooled water and sugar along with the flowers, stir gently.

5. Cover and leave in the fridge for between one and three days, stirring every so often.

6. Once the mixture has infused, lay a clean tea towel over another bowl and pour the syrup through, to strain off the flowers and lemon.

7. Finally, pour the mixture into a sterilised bottle or jar (I sterilise mine in the oven), cover and keep in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.

We tend to add to sparkling water to make a fizzy cordial, but you can add it to champagne, apple juice, or even to desserts.

Let me know if you make some, I would love to hear what you use it for.

How lovely, Emma! I’ll certainly be bookmarking this for the summer. Such beautiful images too. I love to whip elderflower syrup into cream for a super simple dessert (a little brown sugar on top and into the fridge to chill) or to add a fragrant touch to an eton mess.

I made elderflower cordial for the first time this year and picked another load of elderflowers yesterday to make more already – the recipe I used just leaves all the stalks in though…. I’m wondering how much difference that makes to the taste? Beautiful photos as always!

Mine’s been infusing for nearly a week now – can’t wait to try it as this is my first attempt. I read about the stalks being toxic too, but it said if you snip close to the flowers, a little is ok, which is what I’ve done, but I’m sure your method is far more thorough. Beautiful photos x

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Hello, I'm Emma, and this is my blog. A place where I chat about the things I love; simple interiors, well-being, photography, flowers, and fashion. From time to time, I also write about my life, and my two daughters, Elvia and Dottie.
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